Pros using silcone spray on their strings

[Edit: Since originally posting this article (from the Sunday Times newspaper) a number of stringers from the Wimbledon stringing room and other events have said that they have never seen anything that would suggest that pros use silicome spray on their strings. Whether that means that they spray themselves after the racquets have been strung or the article is BS no one knows. Nevertheless you should treat the article below with a healthy dose of scepticism since it does not quote anyone or evidence that which it alleges/speculates in the article. Just because a story is printed in a newspaper does not mean its true.]

They definitely need to ban the application of external substances (other than logo paint) on strings. Doesn't say who the culprits are though and what type of strings this is being used on....

The Sunday Times
Barry Flatman Published: 24 June 2012

A Rafa Nadal topspin shot can rotate the ball at up to 4,900 revolutions a minute (Paul Childs)

TOP tennis players are hugely increasing the spin on a ball by secretly spraying their racket strings with silicon.

Former tennis stars, including two Wimbledon champions, this weekend called for a crackdown on the use of the spray. Pat Cash, who triumphed at Wimbledon in 1987, said: “The game’s values are gone.” In the 1960s, the Australian Ken Rosewall, one of the finest exponents of spin, got up to 2,000 revolutions of the ball per minute. Today’s players can reach 4,900rpm.

Cash said former players including Mats Wilander, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were supportive of his call for outlawing the use of silicon. Cash said Lendl “maintains string technology has gone way too far” and that the use of silicon should be banned.

Modern racket strings stretch and snap back in a fraction of a second, increasing the spin on a ball. Players enhance that spin further with silicon.

The International Tennis Federation is monitoring the situation but has taken no action.

Wouldn't graphite lube powder work better? Because silicon spray is a liquid so gunk would build up from the ball fuzz and the sand/dirt/etc from the courts, which would cause more friction on the bed.

Thing is, the propellent in some of these sprays is actually caustic to some plastics, turning them slightly brittle or at least tarnishing the smoothness of it. I'm surprised they say people use this on strings/racquets. Besides, if they absolutely wanted to be sure, all they'd have to do is feel the inside of the racquet plastic bag the pros take off. If it's slippery and leaves a slight film on your hands, they've been sprayed. This is honestly the first time I've head of this even happening.

The difference is that one is built into the string technology itself and subject to tennis regulations (if any) and the other is not. It's no different than a pitcher using vaseline on the ball or something else.

As a joke I think I'm going to bring an empty can of Pam with me to the courts this week and make like I'm spraying my strings at each changeover and before the match starts. See what happens... :lol: Should get a few laughs.

There are many rec players (4.0+) who can put enough topspin on a tennis ball to feel the effects of poly string... or in this case a string lubricant. The effect is magnified as the racquet head speed increases. I'd be more concerned with what it's doing to their arms.

If Nadal uses silicon spray and it does enhance spin I wouldn't be suprised. It would just be another way that he cheats in order to win. Similar to a steroid filled home run hitter in baseball. For me it would invalidate the narrow based major wins that he does have.

I'll try it tomorrow - curiosity is a virtue - not expecting a miracle.

Click to expand...

You have to spray the stringbed after every tennis session and then move all main strings to distribute the lubricant across the stringbed (crosses). Then, straighten the stringbed as much as possible.

It takes about a week until the strings will move back into position (like a poly). It's best to try it on a freshly strung racquet as older stringjobs already have fairly deep notches. The strings will snap back into those notches.

I tried this more than a year ago. I didn't have silicone spray on hand but used some spray for vinyl. It dids increase spin noticeably, but wears off after about 30min and left marks on the tennis balls. Maybe silicone spray will last longer.

I neither agree nor disagree with the proposed ban. Some people have been doing this or with wax on gut for years. A gut string job I got from TW had quite a bit of wax on it. If you string for yourself you might have noticed there are also several strings that come packaged with a light coating of lubricant already on it.

If Nadal uses silicon spray and it does enhance spin I wouldn't be suprised. It would just be another way that he cheats in order to win. Similar to a steroid filled home run hitter in baseball. For me it would invalidate the narrow based major wins that he does have.

Click to expand...

The incessant bashing of Nadal and others by some posters is really tiresome and juvenile. This spray is not banned -- so it is NOT cheating.

Re the earlier posts re rec players not being able to tell the difference or make the most of increased spin from changing strings, that's bunk.

I play 3.5/4.0 singles. I'm old (47) and no monster (155#) but I have good racquet head acceleration and my baseline game is based on heavy, defensive spin.

I play with a POG OS, very open pattern.

I have strung this racquet with full gut, full multi, full poly and just about every hybrid choice imaginable, at every tension imaginable. After 6 months of syngut mains and poly crosses at around 50#, I was missing spin and went back to full poly at 45#.

I have significantly more spin with this setup. I see it and my regular opponents comment on it without me mentioning the change.

I tried using a pure silicone lubricant that I bought from a hardware earlier today on my gosen sg's. It worked in wonders! I felt more spin is generated and the feel on a synthetic gut is like you are using a poly string. I used to straighten the string bed on change overs. But now with silicone lubricant, no more straightening of the string bed. Plus it gives you more spin on the ball! Kenji Okimoto is right on concluding that lubricating the strings increases spin.